I must say it is very enjoyable and exciting for me to have loping be a regular part of my ride experience again. Steen's lope is ...
Two New Gaits
Novels for Horse-Lovers
The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.
Learn MoreThe One?
Novels for Horse-Lovers
The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.
Learn MoreHowever, this morning I woke up to see a cool, sunny day out the window. I ate breakfast and got in my car.
Since our last long ride I've been playing more with the idea of a route that involves two large loops instead of one big one. The main reason is there is simply no way to do a loop around the barn without riding on gravel more than I want to. So today I implemented a new experiment - something sort of like a gigantic, lopsided figure eight.
Steen was nervous setting out again, and reluctant to leave, as usual. I ignored his antics. I must admit after our grand adve...
Uncharted Territory
Novels for Horse-Lovers
The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.
Learn More The problem for me here is I don't know the land around the barn. By the time I got my first horse in AZ I had biked and hiked every trail within a large radius of my house. Here, the only places I know are the ones I've already gotten to on horseback, and there aren't many of them.
Last week I told myself I just have to explore. Even if this means going out alone on a horse whose behavior on trails is far from docile. The truth is I see the value in arena work, but I'm never going to love it like I love a good ...
And Again!
Novels for Horse-Lovers
The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.
Learn MoreToday I went to the barn and found Steen and the pasture herd were back out in 15+ acres of grass. He and his buddies had clearly been gorging themselves for many hours, and as a consequence he was a bit gassy and grumpy when I brought him indoors. He was also stiff in the hind end from our ride yesterday, so I took it easy on him today.
It is really interesting for me to see how Steen has changed in the 2 years I've had him. When I bought him I didn't know nearly as much about horse nutrition and weight. I thought he was on the thin side, but it didn't quite register with me that he had been at least somewhat malnourished for a significant period of time. I had this vague thought that he'd fatten right up on a good pasture. 
So Far So Good
Novels for Horse-Lovers
The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.
Learn MoreToday I was at the barn at 8:00am and Steen and I had a lovely ride. He was very relaxed and already more responsive than he's been the last few times I rode. We stayed indoors and I went bareback (I'm still having issues with my foot), but he was more willing to stop and stand and turn than my last ride. We worked on walking and trotting, and he did a very good job holding a nice, smooth, steady trot. I've also been working on bending him around my leg in a circle exercise and he was doing really well at that today.
We've got a couple new horses at the barn - Zulu and Caboose. They belong to Cathi who owns the barn, and they are both untrained and skittish. For now they are occupying the run up against one side of the indoor arena, and they are very curious about the things I do with Steen:
New Plan
Novels for Horse-Lovers
The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.
Learn More- 6:15: Wake up. Think, "I should go see Steen today."
- 6:30: Have coffee and hang out with Brian. Eat breakfast.
- 7:30: Check email. Get sucked into doing something for a client.
- 8:00: Think, "I will go see Steen just as soon as I finish this one thing."
- 9:00: "Almost finished."
- 9:30: Get diverted onto different project.
- 11:00: Answer phone call.
- 11:30: Think, "Wow, it's gotten hot out. I should go to the barn soon."
- 11:45: Leave computer with intention of going to barn. Realize it is lunch time.
- 12:00: Fix lunch.
- 12:30: Get frantic phone call/email from client. Fix problem.
- 2:00: Go to meeting.
- 4:00: Think, "I don't like going to the barn in the afternoon." Decide to go to barn tomorrow.
Needless to say, thi...
Two Summer Rides
Novels for Horse-Lovers
The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.
Learn MoreI have actually been getting out to the barn more than I've been blogging about getting out to the barn, but still not as much as I'd like. Last week I decided to saddle Steen up and take him outdoors for the first time in a long while. The results were a tad disappointing. I know I've been lazy with enforcing manners lately, and that Steen hasn't had consistent work for a while. I know our relationship has swung back a little too far to the buddy-buddy side of things, but I had higher hopes for having some fun out and about anyway.
That said, Steen wasn't bad. He just wasn't good either. He never spooked or bolted or even shook his head or fought the bit or did any of the things he does when he lapses into what I consider his truly "bad" behavior. What he did do was try to go home. A lot. It seemed like every few steps I had to pull his head back in the ...
Between Storms
Novels for Horse-Lovers
The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.
Learn MoreBut the next week was busy, rainy and I had to go see a podiatrist and baby my foot, so the barn did not happen. Yesterday...
Photos from Our Trip
Novels for Horse-Lovers
The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.
Learn MoreImages from our trip to the UK. We started by walking the Highland Way - 95 miles of trail between Glasgow and Fort William in Scotland. We went from there to Whitley Bay (near Newcastle) for a week with my brother and his bride. Then up to Beadnell (Northumberland) for the wedding. Click any ima...
Back on the Map
Novels for Horse-Lovers
The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.
Learn More This morning I went out to the barn to see how Steen has fared in my absence. He looks great. Plump, glossy, sleek. I venture to say he is at the high end of a healthy weight. Even his lower haunch (usually the first area he starts looking thin and last spot to plump up) is well-padded.
Steen is definitely not too thin these days
We didn't do much today. It was a bit wa...